1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for, method of, and system for environmentally acceptable treatment of industrial waste water and/or marine vessel bilge waste water before discharge into rivers, lakes, streams and oceans, said waste water comprising hydrocarbons, synthetic oils, chemical or surfactant based hydrocarbon emulsions, and water soluble hydrocarbons, and containing oil coated organics and fine suspended particulate matter, said treatment utilizing a hydrocarbon sorbing pre-filter media (such as polypropylene fibers) together with filter structural elements to first remove hydrocarbon contaminated organics and particulate, coalesce then bifurcate and absorb heavier hydrocarbon elements, then the remaining liquid entering the second stage of filtration wherein a cryogenically pulverized recycled tire powder material removes the remaining hydrocarbons, synthetic oils, hydrocarbon emulsions, and water soluble hydrocarbons providing a highly clarified and oil free effluent at high flow rates and with substantially reduced filter system maintenance. The apparatus, method and system may further contain a third stage comprising another layer of hydrocarbon sorbing materials to sorb any coalesced hydrocarbons that my pass the second stage as it saturates. Further, the aforementioned apparatus, method and system can be combined into a larger oily water separation system comprising electronic oil content monitors and piping to allow the continuous discharge of the separated contaminants to separate storage tanks. The apparatus, method and system of the present invention results in an substantially reduced maintenance means for substantially removing hydrocarbon and organic non-hydrocarbon containing contaminants from industrial waste water and marine vessel bilge water before discharge into rivers, lakes, streams and oceans.
2. Description of Related Art
Industrial facilities such as chemical plants, utility power plants, hospital power plants, corporate and collegiate campus facilities, oil and chemical refineries, and vehicle parking facilities, are coming under increasing scrutiny as sources of hydrocarbon contamination and other chemical and/or pollutant contamination resulting in water having and oil sheen with other small particulate emulsions, such as vehicle and power plant combustion by-products being discharged into streams and ground water. The difficulty is not just handling the hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon particulate emulsions, but separating it efficiently and economically from a substantial flow of water. For some time there has been a need to find a way to make a better polishing filter to remove oil and hydrocarbons, both dispersed and emulsified, from flowing water. Current filters on the market are not able to break a chemical/surfactant emulsion, particularly with a single cartridge, they tend to blind or plug quickly, or begin to pass high levels of oil/hydrocarbons after only a small amount of oil is introduced to the cartridges. Turbidity and discoloring of the water from organics and fine suspended particulate matter is also not solved with current filters and said matter causes false positives on electronic pollution monitoring equipment. A new filter design is needed to be able to remove both substantial quantities of hydrocarbons and fine particulate organic and combustion products from a continuous substantial flow of water, such as would be needed to pump out or drain an area from rain and other water intrusion in power plant facilities, parking lots and marine vessel bilges. Thus, it would be desirable to develop a filter apparatus, method and system, such that the apparatus and system does not easily clog or plug, while being injected with a large amount of industrially contaminated waste water comprising both large quantities of various hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon containing organic and particulate emulsions. What was needed is an apparatus, method and system to solve the problem of bacteria, vehicle and power plant combustion products, and other organics, combustion product particulates and hydrocarbon contaminants, all together, in the industrial waste water and marine vessel bilge water that cause false positive readings on the new electronic oil content monitors.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art by providing an apparatus for, method of, and system for treatment of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon containing emulsified contaminated industrial waste water contaminated wherein the contaminated water is rendered substantially hydrocarbon, organics and fine particulate free and clear, for discharge into a river, lake, stream, ground water or ocean.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.